A new 60 Minutes report, airing Sunday at 7 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, tells the story of Moussa Diawara. He says that within five days of being deported from the United States, Ghanaian officials forced him onto a flight to Mali 1. A U.S. immigration judge had ruled he could not be deported to Mali 1.
Diawara also says he was homeless and went into hiding after he arrived 1. We could not watch the full broadcast. This brief relies on CBS's published preview and on earlier reporting. We found no response from Ghana, Mali or the U.S. government to his specific account 1.
What 'third-country' deportation means
Under the administration's third-country policy, the U.S. sends some migrants to nations that are not their own. In June 2025, the Supreme Court ruled the administration can do this without giving migrants a chance to show the harm they might face, according to Reuters. A legal challenge is still pending in Boston 2.
At least six African nations have agreed to take such deportees, Reuters reported in January. The U.S. has reportedly made large payments in some cases 2.
A pattern reported before Diawara
Reuters counted at least 22 people whom Ghana sent to their home countries despite court-ordered U.S. protection 2. Lawyers said more than 30 third-country nationals were deported to Ghana last year 2. Reuters could not independently verify the lawyers' accounts 2.
One of them, Rabbiatu Kuyateh, 58, lived in Maryland for nearly 30 years. A judge had blocked her removal to Sierra Leone. She was flown to Ghana on Nov. 5, held in a hotel for six days, then forced back to Sierra Leone 2.
In June, advocacy groups filed a complaint at the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja, Nigeria. ECOWAS is a West African regional bloc. The complaint represents 27 of at least 60 people sent to Ghana since September. It says Ghana is "facilitating removals to unsafe countries" 3.
What officials have said
The Department of Homeland Security has said everyone sent to Ghana and Equatorial Guinea received due process and had a final removal order. It also said that once a deportee is in another country's custody, questions should go to that country 2. A lawyer for six of the deportees said most had no criminal record 2.
The State Department told a court it had "received diplomatic assurances" from Ghana that the plaintiffs would not be sent where they feared persecution or torture 2. Ghana's presidential spokesperson said deportees are "processed and sent to their countries of origin" 2.
Democrats have questioned the money behind the program. In November, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio about a $7.5 million payment to Equatorial Guinea to take deportees 24.
This highly unusual payment—to one of the most corrupt governments in the world—raises serious concerns
Why it matters
That matters because the dispute is about whether court protections mean anything once a person leaves U.S. soil. If a judge bars sending someone to a country and that person ends up there anyway, the ruling may not protect them. Diawara's account is one person's claim, and the full report may add detail. Its central question is what the U.S. does when a partner country sends a protected person onward.
they are not safe third countries, and the United States should not be deporting individuals there.
The Record
- A U.S. flight carried 14 third-country nationals to Ghana; a second flight with 19 followed on Nov. 5 2.
- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio about a $7.5 million payment to Equatorial Guinea 4.
- Advocacy groups filed an ECOWAS court complaint against Ghana for 27 of at least 60 deportees 3.
- CBS previewed a 60 Minutes report on Moussa Diawara, who says Ghana sent him to Mali within five days 1.
Sources
- Forever Delmarva (republishing CBS 60 Minutes preview), “New 60 Minutes report on "third-country deporations"” (2026-10-23). foreverdelmarva.com/2026/10/23/new-60-minutes-report-on-thir
- Reuters (via Citizen Digital), “Ghana took in Trump's deported West Africans. Then it forced them home” (2026-01-18). citizen.digital/news/ghana-took-in-trumps-deported-west-afri
- Al Jazeera, “Advocacy groups file complaint against Ghana over Trump deportations” (2026-06-30). aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/30/advocacy-groups-file-complaint-
- Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Democrats), “Ranking Member Shaheen calls for answers from Secretary Rubio on $7.5 million in taxpayer funds sent to Equatorial Guinea for third country removals” (2025-11-10). foreign.senate.gov/press/dem/release/ranking-member-shaheen-
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